This piece first appeared on the Independent Institute blog. The Federal Trade Commission has agreed to a $5 billion settlement with Facebook as a penalty for the social media giant’s unauthorized sharing of user data with consulting form Cambridge Analytica in 2017. Presumably, the settlement is warranted because of the harm done to users when Facebook shared…
Category: Politics
Occupational Licensing Reform Could Help Keep Ex-Offenders Out of Prison
This piece originally appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat. The criminal justice system in the United States is often described as a revolving door –– with good cause. According to a report from the Florida Department of Corrections, more than 60 percent of prisoners released in Florida are re-arrested within three years of release. The offenses with…
New Faculty Book Governing Health: The Politics of Health Policy
This piece first appeared on the John Hopkins University Press blog. By the time of publication of the first edition of Governing Health: The Politics of Health Policy in 1996, the possibility of national health care reform – which had not long before seemed so bright – had severely dimmed. The Clinton Administration’s proposed comprehensive health plan—perhaps…
Minimum-Lot-Size Regulations Mean Less Housing
Ultimately, the only way to keep housing affordable is to increase supply in high-demand areas. Minimum-lot-size regulations are just one of many regulations standing in the way.
Interning with Florida League of Cities
In early March, Florida lawmakers convened in Tallahassee to kick off the 2019 legislative session. The official start followed months of preparation, with lawmakers periodically holding interim legislative committee meetings to discuss and debate various policy and funding matters on tap for session. Legislative session is only 60 days in length, and the only action…
How The Minimum Wage Hurts Entire Neighborhoods
This piece first appeared on Forbes.com. There is a lot of debate around the minimum wage. Some see it as a fairly straightforward way to help low-income workers. Others emphasize the negative effect it has on employment. Fewer employment opportunities are bad in their own right, but the harmful effects of minimum wage increases are likely spilling…
Why are There so Many Candidates for President?
While the number of candidates running for president in 2020 may be unprecedented, a crowded debate stage is unlikely to be a strange sight in the future. The divisions within parties and the availability of money and media coverage outside of the traditional party network mean that potential candidates will continue to see – and take – opportunities where previously they did not.
Tax Wealth but not the Warren Way
Senator Warren’s proposal is inadequate because it arbitrarily imposes the net worth tax on households with $50 million or more in assets. It is not a serious attempt to tax wealth. Targeting the super-rich is a symbolic effort that has widespread political appeal. Her proposal imposes heavy compliance costs that will only add to the IRS bureaucracy.
Misogyny, Politics, and Reddit: How “The Red Pill” Forum Helped Trump Win
In closing, it is important to consider how forums such as this are key in organizing support for extremist candidates across geographic boundaries. We are not suggesting that The Red Pill forum was the group that fully paved the way for Trump’s victory. Rather, we seek to illustrate generic processes of digital recruitment and radicalization in the digital age. In an age of networked politics and increasingly interconnected social movements, enclaves of Alt-Right extremism such as this will serve as rallying points for future candidates, and feminists must be ready to oppose such extremism with great force.
Proportional Voting for the House of Representatives?
Proportional voting would also encourage the formation of additional parties. Under the current system, a party that gets 20% of the votes gets nothing. Under proportional voting, a party that gets 20% of the votes gets 20% of the seats. No longer would people think that if they voted for minor parties, they would be wasting their votes.
